Synchronicity: Post 99

When life hands you lemons:

Make grape juice and then sit back and watch how the world wonders how you did it!


Thank you very much to Pseudonymous High School Teacher! It seems we were on the same wavelength when handing out awards.

More fun rules:

1. Post the logo on your blog.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.
3. Link to the nominees within your blog post.
4. Notify the recipients of the award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link back to the person from whom you received your award.

This took a little thinking, looking for gratitude or attitude. I think attitude can be devil-may-care, as well as thankful for all things, don't you think?

Here's my list of 10. They are folks I enjoy dropping in on now and again. We run the gamut of attitude and gratitude I think.

1. You have to be a Comedy Goddess to Endure
2. Lost and Found in India (pray for her, her husband's, and their driver's recovery)
3. Irish Gumbo
4. Margaret and Helen
5. True Blue Texan
6. I need a Martini Mom
7. Feet Off the Table
8. Strange Pilgram
9. i didn't get the message
10. Dude where am I? (a new find through this link)

Thank you to everyone who shares a little of themselves everyday.

Also, this is post 99 and I'm thinking about how 100 is going to come down. I could do the usual 100 list, but do you really want to see that? Perhaps something more creative. We will see.

If you are on the above list, feel free to take the copy of the award and spread the attitude or gratitude around.

Your Frugal Friend--Tip Seven

Money saving tip#7: Family and friend entertainment for nothing or almost.

We all talk about family time. We should make the most of it in these economic times. Here's our list of things we do as a family that cost nothing (or almost nothing).

Play cards.
Play board games, ie. family game night.
Kick around a soccer ball.
Take a bike ride, especially one to your local ice cream joint where you can get a cone for $1.
Play static electric fight.
Call a friend over to play.
Call a friend over for tea.
Make dinner for your friends.
Make dinner together.
Draw a picture together.
Read books together.
Go play on the playground.
Go play in the snow.
Invite relatives to visit (they will foot the mileage, you will feed them).
Talk about the school day.
Have a potluck (you were going to make something for dinner anyway).
Go shopping for groceries together (you have to buy them, might as well go together).
Take a walk around the block.
Take a walk down to the river (we have one).
Take a walk in the woods.
Run in the sprinkler (I am already dreaming of warmer days).
Wash the car together (get it clean and save money).
Have a craft day together.
Play with all the many toys your kids have accumulated.
Watch a TV movie together.
If you own video games or computers, might as well use them.

What are your family activities?

First blog award!

Well, big thank you to Aliceson over at Feet off the Table! She's had her share of great awards. It is very nice, though, to get one from her. We've been enjoying the banter back and forth and enjoying the winter weather comparison, as we aren't physically that far from each other (not neighbors, but still, not far in the grand scheme of things).

She's put me in the Kreativ Kategory:




There is more to this than just passing it on. There's a bit of a challenge. Good, blogger fuel for the fire. I like it. And I like this award, it's really pretty.

I am to list seven things I love, then seven blogs I love. Lots of love to go around.

Things:
1. My husband
2. My first born
3. My second born
4. Chinese food
5. Cooking
6. Chai tea from Starbuck's
7. My friends

Blogs:
1. Margaret and Helen
2. Strange Pilgram
3. I Didn't Get the Message
4. 2 Brits, 2 Yanks, and 2 Dogs
5. Sweet Juniper
6. Pseudonymous High School Teacher
7. Feet Off the Table! (best for last)

If you have this award, no need to repeat. If you've just been tagged by me, join us in our little party. Thanks to everyone and Aliceson.

Easter in France and static electricity

My children are interested in lots of things. Yesterday, WC#2 asked about Easter in France. I don't know why France. I suggested we look it up on Google and see what we could find.

We found that in France, there's no bunny that brings the eggs, but flying bells. Cloche volant. How fascinating! And there's an April fish (poisson d'Avril), which apparently goes along with April Fool's Day, but is continued to be enjoyed through the rest of the Easter season. Check out this web page for more information.

In addition, our new latest fun game is static electricity fights. We wear static charging clothing and run around our carpet trying to shock each other. Last night we turned off the lights to see the charges bouncing betwee us. The kids have taken to making "carpet angels" which builds the charge even faster in footed pajamas.

Here's some results of our study on the internet and experiments with static.

Super static hair


After the shock



Quietly contemplating




Easter research

Your Frugal Friend-Tip Six

Money saving tip #6-Do not be afraid to call your cable/phone/internet company to try to get a lower monthly bill and rate.

We cannot take credit for this. We heard it on one of the news shows. I think ABC. So, about a week later, I asked Mr. Wild to give it a shot. He called our satellite provider. He started by talking about the competition. Then, it turned out the competition didn't have as good of a deal. He went back to our provider and asked for their customer retention representatives. Turns out they really have these people. They gave us our DVR service for free, took $5 more off our bill, and, as long as we stayed with them for 24 months, would give us the first, 10th and 20th month free. The catch is that we have to stay with them for 24 months. So, if we wanted to cancel the bill altogether, we'd end up paying a fine. We're not in dire straights, and I don't think that will be necessary over the next 24 months. It was nice to shave a bit off our bill.

The catch is, that you probably should be willing to walk if your company is not willing to deal. Be sure to find some competition that compares apples to apples, so that if you do need to walk, you have an alternative. What was that mom always taught you? No idle threats? Works on kids, would work on companies, too.

I guess the other catch is that you or your spouse can be insistent with your service providers. I know some people are timid when it comes to this kind of thing. Mr. Wild is not, and I'm lucky that way.

So, we're enjoying free satellite this month. I thought Mr. Wild did pretty good. Now, if he would please tackle the phone bill.

Nothing says Midwest like a ham ball

Ham ball is a food. Like meatballs, but made of ham, well, much of it is ham.

I found that the ham balls are not ubiquitous to the midwest, but perhaps to Iowa, but maybe not to Iowa, because I have a friend who grew up in Iowa, but does not remember ever having them. I always assumed they were midwestern or Iowan. They aren't particularly German. They are often found in those older church cookbooks and among older church people. I'm not sure where they came from, maybe just western Iowa. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. If you've ever had these, let me know and let me know where you grew up, or your grandma grew up, or whatever. I am very curious about their origin.

Mr. Wild LOVES them. He would eat them every day, I think. Problem is, we have to buy ham and serve that up first. Then, we are meat grinder challenged and have to grind the leftover ham in a blender. Amazingly, it does work, challengin,g but it does. Nobody sells ground ham around here. It also requires hamburger and ground pork. I would rather make scalloped ham and potatoes in the Crockpot.

Then there's the great sauce debate. His mother uses canned tomato soup, vinegar and other stuff, my grandmother has ketchup plus vinegar, sugar and some other stuff. The key here is tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. Mostly we do the 50s version his mom's version. Here's the recipe in case you're wondering. We cut it in half, because it makes way too many ham balls otherwise. And, no, this is not a frugal recipe.

2 1/2 lbs ground ham
2 lb lean ground pork
1 lb ground beef

mix with 3 eggs (use 2 if you cut the recipe in half)
2 c. milk
3 cups crushed graham crackers (I think I only use one cup in the halved recipe)

mix like you're making meatloaf (which you can then do and call it ham loaf if you so desire). Then shape them into balls about the size of clementines. They should be bigger than meatballs, but not as big as baseballs.

Put in a casserole dish and then cover with:
3/4 c. white vinegar
1 can tomato soup
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. dry mustard

You will need all of this for the halved recipe, actually.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Goes well with carrots, sweet potatoes, or corn. Succotash even, if you like that sort of thing. I do, but Mr. Wild doesn't like lima beans. I miss eating lima beans.

Googlisms

So, yes, I do track my guests to my site, who doesn't these days? I have dreams of getting ads, but I think I need more visitors. In the meantime, it's fun to see where people pop in from.

Most I have found are referred from the pages of my bloggy friends. Thanks so much to everyone who carries a link to me: Feet Off the Table, Irish Gumbo, True Blue Texan, I didn't get the message, Jon Swift, and anyone else I may have missed (give me a shout out, in case I did miss you).

Some, th0ugh are the wanderings in of people searching for something on Google, that all encompassing search engine. Here are some that trolled my webpage up:

"made egg salad"

"can I get a 4 and a half year old into kindergarten"

"when is Edward naked in Eclipse" [ROFL]

"naked" [I knew that was a good title]

"what goes with a egg salad sandwich" [grammar, people, please]

"no squeak" [hunh?]

"what goes into egg salad" [I guess that egg salad post was rather fruitful]

"cinnamon gum why hard to find" [see, I'm not the only one]

"educational value of four year old kindergarten"

"no sleep with colds" [colds, what a pain]

"Harry Potter party 9 year old" [hope my post helped them]

"opinions on parenting" [i have a few]

"anyone regardless of background can become president" [that's just way cool]